Reservoir filling device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a filling device for a reservoir which reservoir is to be filled from a cartridge such as cartridges having rigid walls e.g. made of glass and provided with a membrane which can be penetrated by a needle for protection of the entrance. According to the present invention the filling device comprises—a housing ( 1 ) which housing ( 1 ) comprises—a first position means adapted to receive a reservoir ( 2 ) for a delivering device,—a second position means adapted to receive a cartridge ( 3 ) containing a liquid,—a unit ( 4 ) providing a flow path when both the reservoir ( 2 ) and the cartridge are received respectively by the first and second positions means,—a venting unit ( 5, 5   a,    5   b ) providing access of gas to the cartridge ( 3 ) during emptying of the cartridge ( 3 ). The filling device is characterized in that at least a part of the venting unit ( 5 ) is placed off the rotational centre (rc) of the housing and is attached to a part ( 7 ) which part ( 7 ) can rotate relative to the housing ( 1 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a filling device for a reservoir whichreservoir is to be filled from a cartridge such as cartridges havingrigid walls e.g. made of glass and provided with a membrane which can bepenetrated by a needle for protection of the entrance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Filling devices for reservoirs are known and it is recognized that itcan be necessary to vent the container which is to be emptied forfilling liquid in order to reduce the costs for filling or refilling ofreservoirs.

A problem which arises when manufacturing such filling devices is how toplace the venting channel in order not to hamper the filling process orto contaminate the filling liquid which will normally be some kind ofmedication.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,786 discloses a transfer device for use in mixingsubstances in different containers which containers each are closed by astopper of resilient material having a puncturable diaphragm. Thetransfer device consists of a central body portion and a pair of alignedspikes or cannulas projecting from opposite sides of this central bodyportion. This device is not provided with a venting needle movingindependently of the filling needle, and therefore the joined spikes orcannulas according to this document have a relatively large diameter.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a filling device which is easyto handle for the user, simple and non-expensive to manufacture andwhere the risk of breaking the venting needle during the filling processhas been eliminated.

The invention concerns a filling device which comprising

-   -   a housing comprising        -   a first position means adapted to receive a reservoir for            receiving liquid,        -   a second position means adapted to receive a cartridge            containing a liquid,    -   a unit unreleasably attached to the housing and providing a flow        path when both the reservoir and the cartridge are received        respectively by the first and second positions means,    -   a venting unit providing access of gas to the cartridge during        emptying of the cartridge, and at least a part of the venting        unit is placed off the rotational centre (r_(c)) of the housing        and is attached to a part. The invention is characterized in        that this part can rotate relative to the housing and relative        to the unit providing a flow path.

According to one embodiment of the invention the unit providing the flowpath between the reservoir and the cartridge when they are at theirpositions comprises a needle having two pointy ends. The needle can bemade of any kind of material which can penetrate the membranesprotecting the access to respectively the cartridge and the reservoir,and the needle could be blunt at one end and pointed at the other end.

According to one embodiment of the invention the unit providing the flowpath is placed along the rotational centre of the housing.

According to the above embodiment of the invention the unit is fastenedunreleasably to or is a part of a wall in the housing which wallseparates the first position means adapted to receive the reservoir fromthe second position means adapted to receive the cartridge.

According to one embodiment of the invention the part which can rotaterelative to the housing is formed as a circular plate which periphery isin proximity of or in slidable contact with walls of the housing. E.g.the circular plate can move in a track formed in the walls of thehousing. The formation of a “track” prevents the circular plate frommoving in a direction parallel to the rotational axis r_(c) of thehousing. Alternatively the periphery of the circular plate is providedwith a track formed along the periphery which track corresponds to oneor more protruding part(s) of the housing.

According to one embodiment of the invention the circular plate can beprovided with a friction layer which friction layer prevents that thecartridge moves in relation to the cartridge i.e. when the cartridge ispushed into the fitted second position means of the filling devicehousing and the venting unit has penetrated to the inner room of thecartridge then the friction layer will reduce the risk of anydisplacement of the cartridge relative to the rotary part.

According to one embodiment of the invention the venting unit comprisesa venting needle which venting needle provides access from outside thecartridge to the inner room of the cartridge. The venting unit (5) canfurther comprise a venting valve (5 b) which venting valve (5 b)provides a one-way passage of clean gas into a room wherefrom theventing needle (5 a) is provided with clean gas. “Clean gas” isconsidered to be gas of a quality as defined as necessary by the user orby the manufacturer of the device. It can be sterile gas but might begas of a more inferior quality. Normally the gas will be atmosphericair.

According to this embodiment the venting needle is attached to therotary part providing a flow path for clean gas from one side of therotary part to the other and the venting valve can be attached to theopen end of the venting needle pointing away from the cartridge.Alternatively the venting valve can be attached to a wall of the housingproving access of clean gas from outside wall of the housing to theinside of the wall of the housing.

The invention also relates to a kit combining a cartridge filling deviceaccording to any of the claims 1-11 and a cartridge containing liquidwhich filling device can be either for single use and therebypermanently joined to the cartridge or for multiple use and thereby canbe connected and disconnected to the cartridge.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein two preferred embodiments of the inventionare shown.

FIG. 1 shows a cut-through view of a filling device housing where areservoir to be filled is half-way in position and a cartridgecontaining liquid is also half-way in position;

FIG. 2 shows a cut-through view of a filling device housing where theventing valve is placed away from the venting needle.

The embodiment of the reservoir filling device of FIG. 1 is shown in astate where liquid cannot be transferred from the liquid containingcartridge 3 to the reservoir. The embodiment of the filling devicecomprises a housing 1 having cylindrical outer walls and a separatingwall 8 dividing the housing into two positions, a first position for thereservoir 2 to be filled and a second position for the cartridge 3 to beemptied. Each position is either provided by the walls of the housing 1thereby providing a close fit for the device to be placed there or isprovided with guiding means assuring a well-defined final position ofthe device to be placed. In the most simple form both or one of thepositions only comprise a central portion in form of the separating wall8 having no outer walls. The positions including the guiding means arereferred to as position means.

The embodiment of the filling device further comprises a filling needle4 which filing needle 4 provides a flow path for liquid flowing from thecartridge 3 to the reservoir 2. Both the cartridge 3 and the reservoirare in the embodiments of FIG. 1 each provided with a membrane 6 and 10which have to be penetrated by the filling needle 4 in order to create aflow path between the two units. The filling needle 4 is unreleasablyattached to the separating walls 8 and kept in a stationary positionrelative to the housing 1 along the central axis of the housing 1.

The filling device is also provided with a rotary part 7 which accordingto this embodiment is formed as a turntable provided with a folding atthe periphery. The folding provides a contact surface which can slidealong the inner surface of the housing 1 wall. The rotary part 7 canrotate around the filling needle 4 which according to this embodiment isstationary relative to the housing 1.

The rotary part 7 is prevented from moving in the longitudinal directionby one or more protruding parts 12 preventing the rotary part 7 frommoving towards the cartridge and the separating wall 8 preventing therotary part 7 from moving towards the reservoir 2.

Gas can pass from one side of the rotary part to the other through theventing needle 5 which according to this embodiment is constructed of apenetrating member 5 a and a valve member 5 b which two parts arejoined. The penetrating member 5 a is unreleasably attached to therotary part 7 and provides a flow path for gas through the rotary part 7and into the clean inner room 11 of the cartridge 3. The penetratingmember 5 a will normally be provided with a pointed end towards thecartridge in order for it to be able to cut through the membrane layer 6protecting the entrance of the cartridge 3.

The venting valve 5 b is attached to the open end of the penetratingmember 5 a turned towards the reservoir 2 and the valve 5 b allows forgas/air to pass from the room between the rotary part 7 and theseparating wall 8 into the inner room 11 of the cartridge 3 when thepenetrating member 5 a has penetrated the membrane 6 and been insertedinto this room. The valve 5 b prevents micro organisms from accessingthe clean inner room 11 of the cartridge 3.

The rotary part 7 is according to this embodiment provided with one ormore friction layers 9 on the side turned toward the cartridge 3. Thefriction layers 9 correspond to contact surfaces 13 on the cartridge 3and when the friction layers 9 and the contact surfaces make contact thetwo units are “locked” relative to each other and move together.

FIG. 1 also shows the reservoir 2 when this is pushed half-way into theposition of the housing 1, in this half-way position the filling needle4 does not penetrate the septum or membrane 10 which is protecting theentrance of the reservoir 2. The reservoir 2 according to thisembodiment is also provided with an illustrative piston with whichliquid has been pushed out of the reservoir 2 during use and emptying ofthe reservoir 2. When filling the reservoir with liquid from thecartridge 3 the piston 14 is pulled back causing a reduced pressure inthe reservoir 2 and this reduced pressure will transport liquidcontained in the cartridge via the flow path provided by the fillingneedle 4 into the reservoir 2. The removal of liquid from the cartridge2, which is a closed container with rigid walls, will reduce thepressure in the cartridge 3 and if air or other gas is not let into theinner room of the cartridge 3 then it will be necessary to assure thatthe piston 14 seal tightly toward the inner walls of the reservoir 2 inorder to be able to provide a reduced pressure which can overcome thelow pressure in the cartridge 3.

Instead of increasing the quality of the reservoir piston 2 it can bemore convenient to prevent the pressure inside the cartridge 3 to dropto low and this can be done e.g. as suggested according to the presentembodiment of the filling device by letting air or other gas into thecartridge through the venting needle 5.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of a filling device according to thepresent invention. According to this embodiment the penetrating member 5a and the venting valve 5 b are separated from each other. The ventingvalve 5 a transfers gas or air from the outside of the housing 1 intothe clean room 11 between the rotary part 7 and the separating wall 8.According to this embodiment the rotary part 7 must provide an airtightseal against the walls of the housing 1. The penetrating member 5 a hasa blunt end turned toward the reservoir 2 and a pointed end turnedtoward the membrane of the cartridge 3. When the cartridge 3 is pushedinto position the penetrating member 5 a will penetrate the membrane 6and provide a flow path for clean gas/air between the clean room 11formed between the rotary part 7 and the separating wall 8 and the innerclean room 11 of the cartridge 3. Gas will flow through this flow pathwhen the pressure is reduced in the reservoir 2 as the piston 14 ispulled back.

As in the embodiment of FIG. 1 the filling needle 4 is provided with twopointed ends respectively penetrating the membrane 6 of the cartridge 3and the membrane 10 of the reservoir 2 when these two devices are pushedinto each their position.

The housing 1 of the filling device according to the present inventionneed not be cylindrical or have a round profile but it should be able toprovide a close fit between the rotary part 7 and the inner surface ofthe housing 1 especially according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 where itis necessary to have clean atmosphere in the room between the rotarypart 7 and the separating walls 8. If the inner surface of the housingat this position is not round it could be provided with a round tracke.g. formed in a protruding part of the inner surface of the walls ofthe housing 1.

The liquid contained in the cartridge will often be a kind of medicationwhich advantageously can be continuously administrated to a patient.This medication could e.g. be insulin which can be continuouslyadministered to patients with diabetes. In this case the cartridge 3could be a glass ampoule containing an apportioned amount of insulin.

1. Filling device comprising: a housing (1) comprising first positionmeans portion adapted to receive a reservoir for receiving liquid,second portion adapted to receive a cartridge containing a liquid, aunit unreleasably attached to the housing and providing a flow pathbetween the reservoir and the cartridge when both the reservoir and thecartridge are received respectively by the first and second portions, aventing unit comprising a penetrating member penetrating a membranecovering an entrance of the cartridge and providing access of gas to thecartridge during emptying of the cartridge, the penetrating memberpositioned off the rotational centre of the housing; and a rotary partthe penetrating member attached to the rotary part, the rotary partrotatable around the unit rotatable relative to the housing.
 2. Fillingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the unit providing the flow pathbetween the reservoir and the cartridge, when the cartridge is placedaccording to the second position means, comprises a needle having twopointed ends.
 3. Filling device according to claim 1, wherein the unitproviding the flow path is placed along the rotational centre of thehousing.
 4. Filling device according to claim 3, wherein the unit isfastened unreleasably to or is a part of a wall in the housing, the wallseparating the first portion from the second portion.
 5. Filling deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the rotary part comprises a circular plateperiphery in proximity of or in slidable contact with a wall of thehousing.
 6. Filling device according to claim 5, wherein the circularplate moves in a track formed in the wall of the housing.
 7. Fillingdevice according to claim 5, wherein the periphery of the circular plateis provided with a track formed along the periphery, the trackcorresponds to one or more protruding part(s) of the housing.
 8. Fillingdevice according to claim 5, wherein the circular plate comprises afriction layer wherein the friction layer prevents the cartridge frommoving relative to the circular plate.
 9. Filling device according claim1, wherein the venting unit comprises a venting needle providing accessfrom outside the cartridge to an interior portion of the cartridgeduring use.
 10. Filling device according claim 9, wherein the ventingunit comprises a venting valve providing a one-way passage of clean gasinto a room wherefrom the venting needle is provided with clean gas. 11.Filling device according to claim 10, wherein the venting needle isattached to the rotary part providing a flow path for clean gas from oneside of the rotary part to the other and the venting valve is attachedto an open end of the venting needle pointing away from the cartridge.12. Filling device according to claim 10, wherein the venting needle isattached to the rotary part providing a flow path for clean gas from oneside of the rotary part to the other and the venting valve is attachedto a wall of the housing proving access of clean gas from outside wallof the housing to the inside of the wall of the housing.
 13. A kitcombining a filling device according to claim 1 and a cartridgecontaining liquid, the filling device non removably joined to thecartridge or removably connected to the cartridge.